Warner Bros’ HBO Max streaming platform continues to spread to more countries this year – but it now won’t get to the UK until 2025.
The HBO Max streaming service has been a key part of Warner Bros movie distribution strategy over the last 12 months. Especially so in the US, as in 2021 of course all of Warner Bros’ theatrical releases went to HBO Max on the same day.
But not in the UK of course, where the service hasn’t launched, even as it rolls out elsewhere in the world. And it looks set to remain the case for some time to come. Whilst Warner Bros has announced plans to roll HBO Max out to even more territories over the next year or two, the UK we now learn won’t be getting the service until the end of 2025.
The reason for the delay is the agreements that Warner Bros currently has in place with Sky in the UK for its output. It’s been a long term arrangement, and it’s in place for another three years. After then, Warner Bros has indicated that it will bring that arrangement to an end and finally launched HBO Max in the UK.
By the time it does so, who knows where the streaming market will be? It’ll put Warner Bros a good five years behind the launch of Disney+ for instance, and even Paramount+ will have a three year head start on it. It’s a bit of a struggle that Warner Bros faces here. But it has several years to work out just how it’s going to approach its launch.
More as we hear it.
Screen
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